Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Diversify the STEM Workforce

Four billion dollars, not doll hairs, dollars.That is the net worth of the world’s top
three female leaders in technology.Former President and CEO of eBay and current Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg
Whitman; Yahoo President and CEO Marissa Mayer; and Facebook Chief Operating
Officer Sheryl Sandberg are all among the most successful women in the world of
technology.

With such affluent women like these three to look up to, one
would assume many aspiring young women would attempt to follow in their
footsteps.This, however, is not the
case.Women make up around 60 percent of
college and university graduates, yet only 24 percent have chosen to work in
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields.

The total lack of female representation in STEM isn’t
without reason, though.Many women find
it considerably intimidating to enter a career field that has so long been
dominated by men.It is important for
women and other minorities underrepresented in STEM jobs to understand that the
world will always have a need for technological advancement, and with the right
qualifications, they can make it happen.

If contributing to the growth of the world isn’t enough,
maybe a sufficient sum of money will persuade more women to enter the STEM
world.According to the Office of
Science and Technology, women in STEM careers can earn up to 33 percent more
money than women in other occupations.If that doesn’t encourage more women to pursue a job in STEM, who knows
what will.

Women must realize that businesses are constantly looking to
diversify their workforce.This need for
diversity presents a wonderful opportunity for women to enter a primarily male
workforce, and to actually contribute and make a difference.More female workers in STEM are the key to
innovation and the world’s future growth because they provide a way to develop
new concepts and give fresh perspectives on previously male ideas.